Manufacturing in New York Area Grew at Faster Pace in February

Manufacturing in the New York region sped up in February, a sign factories continue to drive the economic expansion.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s general economic index rose to 15.4 from 11.9 in January. Economists projected an increase to 15, based on the median forecast in a Bloomberg News survey. Readings greater than zero signal expansion in the so-called Empire State Index, which covers New York, northern New Jersey, and southern Connecticut.

Manufacturers will probably keep benefitting from gains in business investment in new equipment and rising exports that reflect improving global growth and a weaker dollar. Increased consumer spending may give factories another boost that will bolster production and hiring.

“Manufacturers are keeping their foot on the accelerator,” Ryan Sweet, a senior economist at Moody’s Analytics Inc. in West Chester, Pennsylvania, said before the report. “All the forward-looking indicators point to relatively sturdy gains in factory output in the first half of this year.”

Estimates of 56 economists in the Bloomberg survey ranged from 11 to 21.

Nine components of the index rose this month. The Empire State gauge of new factory orders decreased to 11.8 from 12.4 last month, a measure of shipments decreased to 11.3 from 25.4 and employment fell to 3.6 from 8.4.

Today’s report showed an index of prices paid rose to 45.8 from 35.8 in January, while prices received increased to 16.9 from 15.8.

Less Optimistic

Factory executives in the New York Fed’s district were less optimistic about the future. The gauge measuring the outlook six months from now fell to 49.4 from 59.

Economists monitor the New York and Philadelphia Fed factory reports for clues about the Institute for Supply Management figures on U.S. manufacturing during the month. The Philadelphia Fed’s report is due Feb. 17. The national ISM factory data will be released on March 1.

Overseas demand for American goods is helping support manufacturers. Exports rose 1.8 percent in December to the highest level since July 2008, according to Commerce Department data released Feb. 11. For all of last year, exports increased 17 percent, the biggest one-year gain since 1988.

New York-based Alcoa Inc., the biggest U.S. aluminum producer, expects demand for the metal to double by 2020, driven by consumption in Asia, Brazil and the Middle East, according to Chief Executive Officer Klaus Kleinfeld.

Increasing Growth

“We see places like China continuing to lead with growth of 21 percent last year, 13 percent this year,” Kleinfeld said in an interview Jan. 26. “We actually see that places like Southeast Asia, Brazil, Middle East are increasing the growth rate.”

Consumer spending in the U.S. will rise 3.2 percent this year, the biggest gain since 2005, according to the median estimate of economists in a Bloomberg News survey this month.

Manufacturing makes up 11 percent of the U.S. economy and about 6 percent of New York’s. Factories boosted payrolls by 49,000 workers in January, the most since August 1998, according to Labor Department data.

Manufacturing in the New York region sped up in February, a sign factories continue to drive the economic expansion.The Federal Reserve Bank of New York s general economic index rose to 15.4 from 11.9 in January. Economists projected an increase to 15, based on the median...